Starlight sat in the farthest back corner of the cell, a blanket thrown over her shoulders, knees pulled up to her chest. From the initial look around when she’d first woken up in the cell, she was in an old run down castle. If she had to guess, it was the Castle of the Two Sisters, but without seeing anything but the cell, she couldn’t tell where exactly she was. Hearing a shuffling sound coming from down the hall, she lifted her head to look around only to see a tray with an oat burger slid towards her from under the cell.

“Thought you’d be hungry.” The wolf said when she looked up.

“Why bother feeding me…? Why did you even bother stitching my injury? You were trying to kill us when we met you…” He looked over at her and leaned against the cell, his back to her.

“Want me to be honest? I was testing myself. It’s no fun to test myself against a defenseless, sick, and injured girl. Especially one with no power. Without your six friends and their Elements of Harmony, it’d be no fun to just kill you.”

“Then why Twilight’s parents? They were defenseless against you.”

“Like the rest of you? What better way to piss off the Element of Magic and start her down a dark path? After all, I was created by Nightmare Moon. The only way to truly destroy the Elements is to corrupt their leader. If I’m perfectly honest, the only reason I nabbed you is because that little Twilight was too close to the Princesses.”

“So you’re afraid of them.” She said only to flinch back as he rammed his fist into the bar near her head.

“I don’t fear anyone.” He growled and she stared up at him.

“Sounds like you’re afraid of the Princesses. Otherwise you wouldn’t be worrying about them finding out where you’re hiding. And you know Celestia can track Twilight with her magic.” Growling he turned away, clenching his fists, magic swirling around his arm.

“Just be lucky I haven’t sent you to join little Twilight’s parents. I don’t need a hostage to get them here. All I would need to do is send them your head on a spike.” Swallowing, Starlight pressed her back against the cell wall as he walked out of the prison.

Canterlot Castle

Twilight stared at the map of Equestria Princess Celestia had brought them. None of them were allowed to go back to Twilight’s castle, in case the wolf showed up there to take someone else hostage. “I just don’t understand it. Where could he have taken her? Without the Elements of Harmony, we can’t use their magic to track Starlight.”

“We might not even be able to stop him Twilight. I mean, even with the Elements, he almost killed all of us. He wasn’t just trying to stop us or to beat us so he could take over Equestria. He was trying to kill us.” Rainbow said as she hovered up near the ceiling. She hadn’t given up in helping them, despite all appearances to the contrary, but she had a point. Looking over at Pinkie Pie and Rarity, who were once again in the middle of trying to calm Fluttershy down, Twilight forced out a sigh. When the door swung open, her horn lit, just in case, only for Applejack, Applebloom, and Big Mac to come through the door, pulling behind them carts of treats from Sweet Apple Acres.

“Anything?”

“Nothin’ sugar cube. Granny’s packin’ up some stuff with a couple Wonderbolts helpin’ her and they’ll be here in a few minutes, but there’s no trace of the wolf or any other Timber Wolves anywhere near the farm.” Sighing, Twilight turned back to the map and looked it over. Without access to the map table in her castle, which seemed to change when anything happened in Equestria, there was no way to track the wolf.

“Damn it.” She snapped, slapping the table hard enough to cause her hand to tingle. Fluttershy jumped and the rest of her friends looked over at her. “Why? Why is he doing this?”

“You heard Luna, Twilight. Nightmare Moon created him in case she failed to bring Eternal Night. He was supposed to awaken when she returned, but something kept him dormant until now. Even the princesses don’t know why or how.” Rainbow said and Twilight sighed.

“Yeah, I know. But why? He doesn’t have a purpose anymore. Nightmare Moon failed, and all of her magic was reversed, so why wasn’t the magic she cast on him reversed? It doesn’t make any sense at all.” She said, leaning against the table, head down, staring at the wood between her hands. “Now… my parents are dead… we were all almost killed, and now Starlight’s his captive… I couldn’t forgive myself if something happened to her…”

Hearing a commotion outside the throne room, Twilight turned as the doors were thrown open, admitting Celestia and a contingent of her guards, as well as Spitfire, Soarin and two other Wonderbolts. Behind them, struggling to escape as the guards dragged it in, was a Timber Wolf. Much like the one that had Starlight, it wasn’t an amalgamation of twigs and branches anymore. It was flesh and blood, but it looked slightly different than the other one. Its fur was brown, still retaining some semblance of earthen tones, and its eyes were green.

“Princess?” Twilight asked and Celestia gestured for her guards to throw the Wolf at Twilight’s feet. They moved to obey only to be dragged to their knees as it jerked straight towards Twilight only to be met with a barrier of Celestia’s magic.

“Release me! I will be rewarded if I bring the little witch’s head to my king!” It shouted and two of the guards drew their swords only for Celestia to wave them off. Looking at her for a moment, they sheathed their swords and stepped back. Celestia stepped forward and crouched in front of the wolf before reaching out and gripping its hair at the base of its skull, jerking its head back.

“Tell me where your king is and we’ll put you in the cells until he is dealt with.” She said only for him to grin and spit in her face.

“You won’t get anything out of me.” It growled at her, still grinning, as she released it and stood. Wiping her face, she turned away and walked back over to Twilight. Hearing the doors swing open again, she looked over her shoulder to see Luna walking into the room. She stopped, seeing the wolf, then strode past it over to her sister and friend.

“I have combed the Everfree Forest. There is no change that I or my guards could see.” She said, even as her eyes drooped slowly. Swaying a little, one of her guards rushed forward and supported her.

“Sister, you’re tired. Staying up this long must be taxing on you.” Celestia said and Luna waved her off.

“No, sister. I must stay awake until the beast is found. He is my mistake, and I must make it right again. I have already cost one of my friends more than I can ever atone for. My health is not an issue until he is captured.” She said and Celestia gripped her sister’s shoulder.

“Luna, no pony, princess or otherwise, can stay up three days straight. We all need our rest.” She said and Luna looked up at her big sister and nodded before turning to leave and find a room to bed down in.

“Wait… where’s Twilight?” Pinkie Pie said and Luna stopped and looked around, her eyes scanning the library. Twilight Sparkle, the most important member of the Elements of Harmony and Celestia’s prized student, was missing.

Outside the Castle of the Two Sisters.

“Twilight. I’m glad you could come. Come in.” The wolf said, smiling at the princess as she uncloaked herself. “You got my message then. Good. As agreed, your friend will be released, unharmed.” Twilight swallowed and kept her face turned to the ground as she followed him across the bridge into the Castle of the Two Sisters. As they reached the door, she kept her head down, avoiding the eyes of any of the other former Timber Wolves.

“Twilight? What are you doing here?” At the sound of her friends’ voice, she looked up and saw Starlight standing between two wolves wearing full suits of armor made of black steel.

“A deal is a deal, Twilight. You two, escort Miss Glimmer to the edge of the Everfree, would you? Thanks.” The wolf said, leading Twilight passed Starlight and up a flight of stairs. As she passed, Twilight refused to meet her friends’ eyes, even as the wolves pushed her towards the door, keeping their spears crossed as they pushed her out. “Good of you to give yourself up Twilight. Now no one else needs to die. Not even your little dragon. Why you would keep a dragon for a pet, I will never know.”

“He’s not a pet.” She snapped and he grinned.

“Oh, but of course he is. You make him do everything for you, he sends your letters to Celestia, he even cooks for you.” He said before tapping his chin. “You know, you’re right. He’s a servant. Amazing that one little servant can keep that entire castle clean.” He said and she snarled at him and rushed him only to meet a wall of magic. Grinning at her, he pushed her against the wall behind her, keeping the magical barrier up until she thought he’d crush her with it before it dispersed, his hand slapping against the wall next to her head. “Brave of you. So was this.” He said as his other hand came up and ripped the tracking necklace she was wearing from her neck. The cord snapped like it was little more than a thread as he clutched the gem in his hand.

“They’ll find me. My friends will find me and rescue me.” She said and he grinned, holding the charm up and looking at it.

“Oh, I don’t doubt it. At least, I wouldn’t. If this little castle wasn’t enchanted to nullify foreign enchantments from outside of its walls. You see, as soon as you crossed the bridge, your little charm was nothing more than a pretty little bauble. In fact…” Turning to the side, he whistled and, within a fraction of a second, two other wolves had joined them. “Take this to the jewler. Have him fasten it with a… collar. Yes, a collar. Gold, preferably. I think it’s only suiting that the Royal Pet have a gold collar.” He said as he tossed the charm to one of them, who fumbled with it before clasping it in his hand. Bowing, the two of them raced back down the hallway.

“Now then, come with me and we’ll get you settled in to your new room.” Turning, he crooked his finger at her and started down the hallway, Twilight swallowing and following him, silently, her eyes making note of anything in the hallway so she could memorize it for her escape. She didn’t even notice when he stopped, instead running into his back and falling, only for him to hook his arm around her waist and hold her up. “Should pay attention. Here’s your room. Go on in, get comfortable. You’ll be here a while.” He said as he let go of her. Turning away from him, she pushed it open and walked into the room. Looking around, she noticed the tapestry on the wall across from the bed. It was Celestia’s old bedroom.

“Why are you giving me this room? Shouldn’t you be in here?” She asked and he shook his head.

“Why would I have the bedroom of the Princess? I’d prefer the King and Queen’s bedroom, wouldn’t you?” Grinning, he turned to walk away only for her to grab his coat sleeve. Stopping and looking at her quizzically, he grinned. “Yes, Princess Twilight?”

“I… I’d like some books…” Quirking his eyebrow, he tilted his head. “If I’m going to be here as long as you’re planning to keep me… shouldn’t I get comfortable?” He smirked and nodded, snapping his fingers again. As soon as the guards appeared, he pointed at one in particular, whose eyes widened as the other moved away slightly.

“Go get our guest some books. I don’t care where you get them from, but make sure you aren’t followed.” He said and the guard nodded and took off. “As for you… hmmm… food. She’ll need something to eat. She must be hungry after her long trip. And remember. She’s a pony. They don’t eat like I do.” The guard nodded and raced back down the hall.

“Thank you…” She said and he glanced at her and smirked.

“You may be a prisoner here, but you will be here a while. Might as well get comfortable.” He said as he walked into the room and looked around. “Huh, not exactly conducive for holding books, or even a prisoner.” Snapping his fingers again, the walls started to glow for a moment before bookshelves appeared as if from nowhere. Along with the book shelves, a writing desk appeared with parchment and a quill and ink set. The bed even changed somewhat, becoming a queen sized four poster bed with blankets that Rarity would be proud of.

“Why are you doing this? You don’t come off as a ruthless dictator?”

“Why? Because I want Luna to know what it feels like to be abandoned. Nightmare Moon abandoned me before her spell was complete, leaving me to fend for myself among creatures who wanted nothing more than to wipe out all traces of pony life from their home. I had to go into hiding until my magic became strong enough to survive out there. And even then, I had to stay in hiding. I ventured out to find food and nearly became food more times than I care to count.” He said as he stared out the window. Taking the chance he seemed to be presenting her, she walked over and touched his shoulder lightly. He didn’t shy away from her, but he did turn and look at her hand.

“You sound like a lot of ponies I’ve met. They wanted the night to last longer, and they loved having Nightmare Moon back. When she was banished to the moon, they felt like she’d abandoned them. But she didn’t. She came back and we cured her of the darkness tainting her mind. She’s not Nightmare Moon anymore but, now that she’s Luna again, she can be the pony you and they all want her to be.” She said and he sighed and turned to walk out of the room.

“You don’t understand anything. Nightmare Moon filled me with the drive to hurt. To cause pain. To rule Equestria in eternal night.”

“But you don’t want that, do you?” Stopping at the door, he looked at her over his shoulder. “You don’t want eternal night. You know what it would do to the trees and the grass and other ponies. All of us need the sun to survive.” Walking over to him, she looked up at him. He turned around to look at her and she looked up at his eyes. “You have more than just Nightmare Moon’s magic. You’ve got her memories too, don’t you?”

“Abandonment, betrayal, pain, anger… I’ve got all of it. All of you ponies are the same. You don’t understand anything about what Luna went through for one thousand years on the moon. The loneliness she had to suffer with. Alone. For one thousand years. Abandoned and betrayed by her beloved sister, who swore to never hurt her.”

“No, we don’t understand what she went through. I don’t. I wasn’t there when Luna was banished to the moon. But she’s back now, and she’s trying to make up for everything.”

“Clearly not.” He said and she blinked. “If she really was trying to make up for it all, she’d have told her sister about me. They’d have found a way to either turn me back into a normal Timber wolf or banished the darkness from my heart. Then your parents wouldn’t have found themselves on the wrong end of my blade.” He said and she flinched. “That’s what I thought, Princess. When it comes right down to it, I’m nothing more than the creature that took your parents from you.” Turning and walking down the hall, he barely heard when Twilight closed the door to the room he’d given her.

Leaning against the door, Twilight stared at the floor as tears streamed from her eyes. “Maybe he was right… maybe if Luna had really tried to make up for everything, she’d have told Celestia about him…” she thought to herself before shaking her head. “No. Luna’s my friend. It was a thousand years. Maybe she forgot she’d created him.” Walking towards the bed, she turned around and sat down, staring at the floor between her feet before falling backwards and staring at the canopy above her head. Closing her eyes, she let her mind drift back to when they’d first seen him.

He was standing in a clearing in the Everfree, his back to them, when they’d come across him. It had been the first time the Map had called them all to a single location, and Twilight had initially thought that maybe it was the maps way of telling them to try and renovate the Castle of the Two Sisters. At least until she’d looked closer. The spot the map was pointing them too was nowhere near the castle. She’d proceeded to send a message to Celestia, letting her know what was going on, before she and her friends ventured out.

In hind sight, the message had been a brilliant idea, resulting in the seven of them being saved by Celestia, Luna, and the royal guards. It nearly made her laugh, thinking about how she’d thought the map was sending her to the Castle with her friends, and now she was here, in the Castle, alone. “No. Not alone…” she amended to herself, remembering that the castle now housed the guards of the wolf that had very nearly killed her and her friends.

Covering her face with her hands, she barely heard when the door was pushed open and a pair of booted feet entered the room, the door closing a moment later. Sitting up, she jumped when she saw a female wolf setting a covered tray on the desk. “Your food is ready. I thought you were sleeping or I’d have said something when I came in.” She said and Twilight stared at her. “What? Thought the King only had his guards here? Not all timber wolves were male, ya know.” She said before she started for the door.

“Wait. Was he always like this? I mean, before you guys were all like this. When you were just timber wolves.” Twilight asked and the guard sighed and looked over at her.

“If you must know, no. He wasn’t. When we were just timber wolves, he was like the rest of us. Hunting when he needed to. Feeding when he was hungry. Now, he’s changed. I don’t know if I personally like it, but I can’t complain. He’s the king. When he got these powers, he instilled himself as the King by challenging and killing the former Timber Wolf King. Simple as that.”

“Was he always evil?” She scoffed and leaned against the bookshelf beside her as Twilight walked over and sat down to eat.

“Evil is such a simple term. No one is truly evil really. Maybe they’ve got dark intentions, maybe they do bad things. But no one, pony, wolf or otherwise, is really ‘evil’. What needs to happen to be considered evil? Someone says what you’re doing is evil? That just means that good and evil are just ways of describing someone.” She said, crossing her arms in front of her.

“But… what about timber wolves? Ponies have been dealing with them for years.”

“Yes, but have you ever wanted to kill them? From what I remember, your friend Applejack merely chased my brothers away from her farm to protect her cattle. In my eyes, you ponies are the evil ones. We need to eat too. Surviving on twigs and branches, hunting the small little animals that live in the Everfree. Your friend Fluttershy keeps us from doing that too often.” She said and Twilight looked up at her.

“Look at it like this, Princess. Wolves eat meat. We always have. Even when we were just timber wolves. Sure, when we were grass and twigs and earth magic, we could sustain ourselves on branches, leaves, and twigs. But now that we’re flesh and blood, what do you think I see when I look at you?” Swallowing, Twilight couldn’t bring herself to answer her. “Now that we’re flesh and blood, Princess, I hear the blood pumping through your veins, and I smell the meat in your arms and legs. If my King hadn’t said you were off limits, I wouldn’t be standing her talking to you. I’d be having a feast. Gorging myself on your succulent thighs.”

Shrugging and splaying her hands out to either side, she closed her eyes. “As it stands, he seems to have a plan for you, so I’m not allowed to touch you. The only reason he lets me look is because, apparently, I can restrain myself better than the others in this castle.”

“So… all a timber wolf sees when he looks at a pony is…”

“Fertilizer. Something to spread at the roots of our trees to help them grow stronger. As we are now, it’s likely that any wolves that aren’t in the castle are trying to dredge up the bravery to attack Ponyville and feed.” Turning to leave, she stopped when Twilight grabbed her arm.

“Please… ask your King to stop them… please… I’ll do anything for him if he stops the other wolves…” she said and the wolf that had brought her food grunted a little and jerked her arm out of Twilight’s grip.

“Do what you want. Your people are no concern to me.” She said as she walked out of the room and closed the door. Walking down the hallway towards the throne room, she shook her head. “Why am I even considering this…? Why should it matter to me…? She’s meat. Nothing more. Just food. The only reason we’re not allowed to touch is because Shadow says not to…” she said to herself as she walked into the throne room.

“Ah, Sky. I trust our guest is fed now?” he asked as she walked over to him. Nodding, she kept her eyes downcast as she turned and walked to a window, through which she could see Ponyville in the distance. She barely heard when he walked up behind her, looping his arms around her waist. “You seem troubled. What is causing the dark clouds roiling from those lovely ears of yours?” He asked and she jerked out of his grip. He tilted his head and looked out the window, straight at Ponyville.

“I’m worried, your majesty.” She said and his ear twitched.

“Twilight’s been filling your head with thoughts. But I’ll humor you. What worries you?” He asked and she looked up at him.

“Ponyville. There are timber wolves that didn’t join us here. If they attack Ponyville, we may lose our leverage. Worse, if they kill Celestia, what’s to keep him from returning?” Seeing his eye twitch, she stepped back only for him to grab her wrist lightly. “I’m sorry I…” she stopped as he placed his hand against her cheek.

“I understand your concern. At this point, however, we’ll wait. If the stones start to crumble, we’ll… think of something.” He said and she breathed out. “Why so worried?”

“I thought you were going to hit me.” She said and he chuckled.

“Sky, I may have killed dear Twilight’s parents, but I’m no monster. I don’t hit women.” She breathed out a sigh of relief then looked up the stairs.

“So… what are you going to do with her?” she asked and he sighed.

“Honestly? I don’t know. I’ve destroyed the elements. Really there’s no point in any of this. I suppose I’m keeping her here, separate from her friends, in case they have some sort of connection to the Elements still. There’s no telling that they couldn’t use them against me even without the jewels.” He said and she nodded.

“If that’s the case, why not just kill one of them? Without all six of them, even with the jewels, the Elements would be powerless.” He shrugged as the two of them walked into the throne room.

“Maybe a part of me is still Nightmare Moon. She never wanted to cause harm, just make the night last forever. Granted, I stepped out of that when I killed Twilight Velvet and Nightlight. But sparing the dragon? And their guests? Any other dictator would say I’m going soft.” Sucking in a breath, he turned and sat on the throne, staring up at the stained glass window. “Leave me to my thoughts, Sky. I don’t need a guard.” He said and she bowed and turned on her heel, striding out of the throne room and closing the door behind her. Closing his eyes, he leaned back a little before smirking.

“I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. This was your castle after all.” He said, causing the invisible pony to stop in her tracks. Sitting up straight and turning to look at her, he grinned as magic flowed around his fingers, wrapping around her as if in a gentle caress. “Welcome, Luna. It is night, isn’t it? Amazing how the time flies.”

“Where is Twilight Sparkle?” She asked, keeping her eyes on the magic flowing around her legs as it snaked around her body.

“Safe. Unharmed, even if her throat is a little sore. She’ll remain that way too, especially if my demands are met.” Swallowing slightly, she stared at him. “First, I want the new wolves to be recognized as a people under our own dominion, with me as King.”

“Kings are not very welcomed here in Equestria, or do you not remember Sombra? You claim to have all of my memories, so you must remember him.” He smiled and nodded.

“Ah yes. King Sombra. The Unicorn who gave himself to darkness. Yes, I remember him. A pity you didn’t kill him when you had the chance.” Standing up, he closed his eyes before opening them again and walking down the steps and stopping mere inches in front of her. “Then again, you and your dear sister always have been averse to the thought of spilling blood.” Luna stared at him, intending to keep her cool until she felt his hand at her neck. He didn’t squeeze, but the feeling sent shivers down her spine. “I gather even if I were to draw a little of your own blood, you’d faint at the sight.” Grinning, he jerked his hand away, raking his claws against her throat and clearly drawing blood. Standing her ground, she ignored her own blood running down her neck.

“Sombra was a fool. He claimed to be a King and we stopped him.” She said and he smiled.

“Oh yes. You stopped him. At least, until his magic returned. Then it was Celestia’s dear niece, Princess Cadence, who proved to be his true end, tell me… did your sister plan that? Or was it only through happenstance that the girl was chosen to be the end of Sombra?” He asked and she stared at him, keeping her mouth closed. “Not gonna tell me? Hm. A shame. So, tell me, mother. What are you going to do?” He asked as he turned and walked away.

“Don’t call me that?”

“And why not? It was through your magic that I was brought to life. Your magic turned a lowly timber wolf into me. A creature so weak merely striking it with a rock or any blunt force would force the thing to reform itself so it could run away. And now there’s me. A flesh and blood creature who managed to do something you couldn’t do. I destroyed the elements of harmony. I did. Me. You did nothing. Save for be the cause of my creation. If you’re not my mother, what are you?” he asked and she stared at him. “Not going to answer me? Fine. Then answer this… what will your sister do if I send your head back to her in a box?” He asked, drawing his blade and spinning.

Luna clenched her eyes closed, waiting for the inevitable pain that she was sure was coming, only to feel the cold steel press against her neck and stop. Opening her eyes, she stared at him and noticed that he wasn’t looking at her. He was looking at the sword. “Funny. It seems I can’t use this blade to end your miserable life.” He said as he pulled it away and looked it over. Staring at it, Luna realized it was the same sword she’d used against Sombra. “Ah well, I suppose it’s just a useless piece of tin anyways.” Turning away from her, he tossed it over his shoulder, the blade clattering to the ground behind her as he walked back to his throne.

“What do you get out of causing all of this pain?”

“What do I get? Hmmm… interesting question. What did Discord get out of creating havoc with his magic? What did Sombra get out of enslaving the Crystal Empire? What does Chrysalis get out of feeding off of the love of others? Wait… that last one isn’t really a good analogy. She gets sustenance out of it.” Tapping his chin, he smiled and looked at her. “Absolutely nothing. Granted, Discord finds some sort of amusement in causing chaos, and Sombra got some sort of satisfaction out of enslaving the Crystal Empire. Me? I get nothing out of this. It’s just fun. My turn. Why did you create me?”

She blinked, not expecting that question. At least, not expecting the way it was asked. He didn’t ask it like he really wanted to know, nor did he ask it as if he didn’t already know why she’d created him. He wanted the real reason. Sighing, she stared at the floor for a moment before looking up at him. “I was lonely. I felt like my sister had abandoned me, letting the Nightmare take me. I felt like she didn’t truly understand me and just wanted someone that did.”

He nodded, sitting back on his throne. “So, you wanted someone to share your night with, so you created someone that could share it by giving real power to a creature whose entire existence was killing and surviving?”

“I admit, it wasn’t my best moment.”

“No. It wasn’t. Nor was coming here without guards.” Her head snapped up and she looked at him before looking around, finally noticing the other wolves around her. She couldn’t take off, because he was faster than her, and running would only put her directly in the path of the wolves holding spears.

“I won’t die without a fight.” She said, her horn igniting and summing twin swords in her hands.

“No. No you won’t.” He said before snapping his fingers. The wolves around her all lowered their weapons and stood around her. “You’re free to go. Don’t ask me why, just get out of my sight.” Turning away, he stared at a tapestry near a window, ignoring her entirely. She blinked a couple of times before turning and running, the guards behind her parting so she could get by. Once outside, she took to the air quickly.

“Your majesty. Are you sure that was wise?” One of the wolves asked and he looked over at the guard who spoke. “She is one of the princesses of Equestria. Killing her would weaken the royalty and we could take Canterlot eas…” he froze, his eyes going wide as he looked down at his chest. Protruding from his chest was the shaft of a spear. Before he’d noticed, his king had throne the spear hard enough that the point was embedded in the wall behind him.

“Remove that corpse from my hall. Throw him into the ravine.” He said and two other guards nodded and moved to obey, one of them pulling the spear out of the wall with some difficulty before they carried the corpse of their fallen comrade out of the throne room. “Before any of you others make some foolish mistake, Luna is off limits. You heard me. She created me, gave me the magic to create all of you. She is, in essence, our mother. If any of you are foolish enough to think it wise to target her, speak up now and I promise your deaths will be swift.” He said, looking around the throne room.

When no other wolves spoke up, he nodded and leaned on the arm of his throne. Leaning his head back, he kicked his legs a little, completely and utterly bored. “Gah… it’s no wonder no one ever tried this before. Having no subjects to order around makes one entirely too damn bored. You two.” He said, pointing at two guards at random. The two stepped up nervously. “Go fetch Twilight. Have her join me here.”

“And… if she refuses to come?”

“Tell her I require company. You all are so boring.” He said and one other guard stepped up.

“Your highness. She is our prisoner. Giving her free reign over the castle is…” his voice was cut off by his king opening his eyes and staring straight at him. The difference this time, however, was his pupils. Normally, they were just like everyone else’. Round and reflective. This time, they were slit, much like a dragons, and appeared to be bottomless pits surrounded by an ocean of red. “Of course… your highness.” He said as he walked as quickly from the throne room as possible, his partner following. Sighing, their king closed his eyes and rubbed his temples.

“Highness, not to… agree… with the idiots who argued with you, but would it not be wise to keep her in her room? If she learns too much of the castle, she may teleport out and warn her friends. They may not have the Elements anymore, but who’s to say the princesses aren’t readying their troops for an assault.” One of the other wolves stepped up, her sword clinking against her hip. He looked at her out of one of his eyes and sighed.

“I suppose you’re right. But what would you have me do? Send them one of Twilight’s fingers as assurance that they don’t attack me or I send her head?”

“If I may be so bold, majesty, yes.”

“I’m not a dictator. And, despite what Twilight saw upon my awakening, I’m not merciless.” He said and she nodded. “I haven’t given you name yet, have I?” he asked and she shook her head.

“No, majesty. You haven’t graced me with a name…”

“Well… what do you want to be called? When we were all nothing more than stupid little masses of twigs and earth, we had no need for names. Now we do.”

“I… I hadn’t thought of it. I remember looking at the stars after we took this castle at one constellation in particular. It looked… comforting… to me. For lack of a better word.” She said and he looked over at her. “Scorpio seems to be the one that speaks the most to me.”

“You’ll be called Scorpia then. Or… whatever variation on the name you want.” He said and she bowed.

“Thank you, my king.” She said, looking at the stairs as she straightened. He followed her gaze and smiled, sitting up straight as Twilight entered the room.

“Welcome, Twilight. You just missed Luna.” He said and she perked up a little. “Sadly, she had to leave. In one piece, so don’t worry.” He said and she looked up at him.

“You couldn’t do it.”

“Of course not. She’s practically my mother. You expect me to be so heartless as to… never mind.”

“Why did you call me here?” he glanced over at her and sighed.

“I’m going to be honest with you. I’m bored. I have this castle. All of these guards. I’m surrounded by wolves who would do anything I say. But that’s just it. They’ll do anything I say. I could tell them to kill themselves and, though they’d hesitate, they’d do it. You? You’re someone I can’t just order to do what I wish you to do. And…” he sighed and sat forward a little.

“And what? You want to know what it’s like to have someone disobey you?” she asked and he shook his head.

“It seems something worse than me is coming.” He said and the wolves around the throne room murmured to themselves. “Hard to believe, I know.”

“Majesty, you are positive of this?” Scorpia asked and he nodded. “What are we going to do?”

“If we’re lucky, survive in sorely diminished numbers. If we’re not… all of Equestria may very well be wiped out.” He said then looked at Twilight. “It seems destroying the Elements of Harmony wasn’t my best first action.”

“What do you mean?”

“Yes, I knew you and your friends could use the elements against me. Maybe they’d purge me of darkness. Maybe they’d destroy me. Who knows? But apparently it wasn’t just for purification they were used for. I’m surprised Luna didn’t say anything about it.” When she tilted her head, he sighed again. “Let me fill you in. I’ve got all of Nightmare Moon’s memories, as well as Luna’s when she was Nightmare Moon. There’s something out there far more powerful than Celestia and Luna.”

“What could be that strong?”

“Discord knows better, but Nightmare Moon faced it when she was trapped on the moon. It’s known simply as Nox. I don’t know entirely what it really is, but it was powerful. She only managed to chase it away when the sun broke over the horizon of Equestria. It was weakened by sunlight.” He said and she looked up at him. “The last being to face Nox was Celestia and Luna’s mother. She locked it on the far side of the galaxy. Now it’s back, and unless something is done, it could destroy Eques.”

“What was keeping it away before?” she asked and he looked over at her.

“The Elements of Harmony. The purifying effect those things have on beings would destroy it. It’s pure evil. It doesn’t have a good side.”

“And you destroyed them.”

“Yes, I did. Which means we need some other way to destroy it.” He said then sighed and leaned back.

“What could be strong enough to do that with the Elements destroyed?” looking up at him, she barely registered where he was looking. Directly at her. More specifically, he was looking at her abdomen.